turning glue up laminate smooth

[Lawrence Duckworth]

How do you guys turn smoothly a dissimilar wood glue up? I get high spots on the softer wood sistered next to a harder wood, sanding helps but still noticeable.

E3AE0FE7-3C3E-458E-9DE3-0319A1419C48_1_201_a.jpg.....

[John K Jordan]

What tool(s) are you using to cut the surface? What are the two types of wood? You say the softer wood gets high spots - do you mean just a very narrow area right at the glue line, all the way around the piece or just in some spots, something you can feel easily? Could it be from the glue itself? Or do you mean what looks a little uneven near the bottom of the picture? If so, that looks a little like tearout which can be avoided.

I've done quite a bit of that with beads of courage boxes and other things. I use tightbond glue, quite a lot of pressure. I don't remember any problems with surfaces. I was concerned this would be a problem with basswood next to a harder wood but it was fine - I couldn't see or feel any high/low spots. BTW, I rarely use much sanding but a negative rake scraper followed by hand scraping, then I can usually use just a bit of 400 or finer sandpaper.

This one has cherry, walnut, basswood.
chip_carved_goblet_c.jpg

This one has walnut and basswood.
BOC_C_Jack_01_IMG_6687.jpg

This one is cherry and walnut, but those aren't much different.
BOC_D_demo_comp.jpg

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

This is walnut and basswood, John. Ive scraped the surface at full speed with a nrs and that helped a bunch but in the photo I'm showing a cut done with a sharp 3/8"gouge. Its kinda weird but the bass wood acts like it swells up. glue up is not a problem. and too, it feels like the gouge rides up on the basswood. I can't imagine what segmented would look like...yikes.
btw, im making progress with the steel tools, aint there yet but some hickory I worked didn't need sanding. maybe the gouge isn't as sharp as I think it is or maybe I'm cutting too fast....
\

btw, great looking work.

[Mel Fulks]

Since that surface is straight, I would sand with a straight block that has felt on it.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I do a lot of varied wood block glue ups for banjo rims, but usually from somewhat similar woods. I have one customer for whom I regularly make rims from ash, walnut and cherry blocks according to patterns he invents. I've also turned rims that had two layers of cherry and one of jatoba, and in that case I have not had a problem either. I think maybe the basswood is too soft to be an ideal choice to pair with a harder wood. I also do my last 1/32 or so of wood removal with a large skew taking a scraping cut, this seems to help with final precision and getting the outside line straight.

[Kevin Jenness]

Unless the basswood is much drier than the walnut and absorbing moisture from it I suspect it's your technique.

"maybe the gouge isn't as sharp as I think it is or maybe I'm cutting too fast...."

" im making progress with the steel tools"

It sounds like you are somewhat new to steel tools, so maybe get a mentor to evaluate the edges you are producing. Slowing down never hurts, but keen tools are essential when cutting a soft wood like basswood. I've never turned it but I doubt it would respond too well to scraping with a burr off the wheel. I seem to see some tearout on the basswood rings. I bet if you could cut that surface without tearout you wouldn't have this problem.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

Well I appreciate the feedback and it looks like this boils down to sharpness, and choice of material at my skill level. There was some small tear out, nothing like I had with carbide and it did sand out.I had a bit better success yesterday with a freshly sharpened tool. I have some ash and hickory I think I'll use instead of bass.

Thanks again

[John K Jordan]

Well I appreciate the feedback and it looks like this boils down to sharpness, and choice of material at my skill level. There was some small tear out, nothing like I had with carbide and it did sand out.I had a bit better success yesterday with a freshly sharpened tool. I have some ash and hickory I think I'll use instead of bass.

Thanks again

One way I test the sharpness of a tool is to see if it shaves arm hair easily, skews, gouges, whatever. Sometimes my left arm starts to look a little bare.

BTW, as for sharpness:
I sharpen some tools (NRS, scrapers, skews) on a 600grit CBN on a bench grinder, spindle gouges on 1200grit CBN on a Tormek. I always follow grinding with a light honing, usually with the leather flat Tormek wheel with some abrasive compound; use the profiled leather wheel for the inside of gouges. The object is to remove every trace of grinder burr then polish the edge some, quite similar to the edge on carving tools.

The absolute best honing/stropping I've found for skews and some other tools is a piece of MDF, perhaps 4"x6" or so. I resaw it on the bandsaw to leave roughened surfaces and rub with a stick of honing/polishing compound. The roughness lets the MDF hold some compound. For a skew I hold it firmly flat against the MDF, lift the back ever so slightly, then pull backwards while applying pressure. Gouges, turn while pulling. I know the compound is removing steel since it turns black with every stroke. Sharp enough to shave whiskers with! All scrapers and NRS get the grinder burr removed, the edge polished a bit, and a burr raised with a carbide burnisher. (I use my scrapers for fine smoothing rather than significant wood removal.)

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I appreciate the instructions. What I have for now is the Kodiak sharpening system with 180/600 grit cbn wheels.I thought I was sharp! ...sheesh

[John K Jordan]

For sanding, I often use my "soft sanding block", an eraser:

sanding_soft_block.jpg

I find it perfect for mild sanding on the lathe and for much of the sanding I do by hand off the lathe.

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

cool trick...I'll try it.

Your Chip Carved Goblet is interesting.

[John K Jordan]

cool trick...I'll try it.

Your Chip Carved Goblet is interesting.

Thanks! I taught myself to chip carve to add detail to round things - almost all chip carving I saw was on flat pieces. I've done a number of ornaments - basswood is so light that hollowing is not necessary.

The simple chip pattern I like to use is pretty easy. The hardest thing is laying it out perfectly. I use a precision rotary table I have for my milling machine but a simple indexer on the lathe should work ok.

Some early experiments. I'll take more pics the next time I do some.

chip_carved_ornaments3.jpg

I do carve some flat boards - this one is highly descriptive of my shop.

chip_mess.jpg

The only tool needed is one inexpensive knife (or maybe two):

ornament_carving_2.jpg chip_ornament_start_small.jpg

I found chip carving in general to be quite easy, once I learned how! I practiced for a bit before trying a project.

practice_comp.jpg

JKJ

[Lawrence Duckworth]

Carving looks like a great way to embellish. I like it!I've been turning ornaments too, I think they're good practice for me and the new tools.
Mine are gigantic and will likely hang from a steel beam....

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[John K Jordan]

Carving looks like a great way to embellish. I like it!I've been turning ornaments too, I think they're good practice for me and the new tools.
Mine are gigantic and will likely hang from a steel beam....

Nothing wrong with large ornaments!

F63D645E-0091-407B-AFE6-3107884C4CFB_1_201_a.jpg

If you like ornaments, have you tried turning colored acrylic? All mine is cast acrylic which I've read is important. Someone gave me some short pieces once in a variety of colors and I've since bought some 48" long rods, about 1.5" diameter I think. Turns easily with conventional tools or Hunter carbide. Sands and polishes quickly.

acrylic_three_comp.jpg acrylic_IMG_5714.jpg

I thought the piece this came from was black but it was actually a very dark green. Turned thin at the rim it has a nice gradient. I tried one from a lighter color and it was so transparent it had almost no color.

acrylic_ornament_green_bell.jpg

JKJ